Lifting my E30 and 5 lug problems

[mattlance13]

no pics dammit.. some good info to add to my head though.. matt, is there a thread on the truck?

[MR 325]

Sorry guys, no pics. I'll grab one of the front wheel. Putting some 16" E39 wheels and 225/55 snow tires on it this week.

[fronton]

serious, post pics of your now centered wheels. I am having the rubbing issue due to bad castor and am buying the late model M3 control arms to cure. Did you buy new? Any good deals out there? $400 is a lot for a new set.

[DEV0 E30]

Let's see some pictures of this beast already.

Is this one of your 318i's you have hanging around your used car lot?

I mean driveway.

[MR 325]

Matt... how did the minimal grinding go on the tie-rod? I think some of us might like to hear about the spacer specs you ended up with on the caliper carrier as well. Good info for those wanting the E36M3 "centering" but only the regular non-M E36 brakes.

Unfortunately the grinding was not sucessful. Even with the tierod ground as far as possible none of the 15" wheels I have could clear it. Problem is the M3 spindle pushes the tie rod mounting location further forward than the standard 325 E36 spindle. My solution was to buy some 328is 16" wheels for it. I am very happy with the outcome though, the brakes are plenty good and the wheel is perfectly centered.

[clavinZERO]

Matt... how did the minimal grinding go on the tie-rod? I think some of us might like to hear about the spacer specs you ended up with on the caliper carrier as well. Good info for those wanting the E36M3 "centering" but only the regular non-M E36 brakes.

[MR 325]

I know how it works. The swap is already completed and working fine as previously mentioned.

[etxxz]

wow yeah, the e36 CAs should have pushed the front wheels further forward than obdII e36 CAs.. and also stuck the wheels further out. Can you post a pic of the CAB installed? The closer the CA pivot point is to the frame rail, the more it will push it forward since the CA itself pivots around the subframe ball joint.

post up something doesnt sound right here..

[MR 325]

Are these the offset bushings you used?

Well yes and no. I got a pair OEM BMW bushings from BMA for about $45.

[carlb]

Are these the offset bushings you used?

[MR 325]

For anyone that cares (not likely) we made progress on the 5 lug.

Installed E36 M3 control arms, E36 M3 spindles, and E30 M3 offset bushings. The wheel is perfectly centered, better than my S50 5 lug car in face. Since we plan to run 15" wheels we will be running the non-M E36 325i brakes. This requires a spacer between the caliper bracket and the spindle where the bracket mounts. No big deal, that's taken care of.

The big problem we are having now is that the tie rod location on the M spindle is further forward, the tie rod is hitting the wheel! It's oh-so-close though, going to try minimal grinding on the bottom of the tie rod and see if it will clear.

[MR 325]

So you are going with e46 lca after all! In all photos of others who did this mod it did push the wheel forward. Are you using camber plates? Can you post pics?

No, I just said I am going to use the E36 M3 arms. I sold the E46 parts. The E46 arms did NOT put the wheel forward at all.

No, I am not going to use camber plates. I am not lowering this E30. Will post results this weekend.

[84driver]

So you are going with e46 lca after all! In all photos of others who did this mod it did push the wheel forward. Are you using camber plates? Can you post pics?

[MR 325]

I was under the impression you couldn't use anything but e36 M parts up front, I doubt that would be the cause of the caster problem though.

It's definitely a DIRECT cause of the caster problem. The E36 M3 arm pushes the strut forward. Also, the E36 M3 spindle pushes it forward even more. I have the control arms and spindles on the way. Going to run non-M brakes on them though.

[trackjunkie21]

I was under the impression you couldn't use anything but e36 M parts up front, I doubt that would be the cause of the caster problem though.